Table 3.
Dialysis providers on Day 1 of treatment in 52,172 Veterans who transitioned to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) over four years (from 10/1/207 through 9/30/2011). Note that providers could not be identified on Day 1 in 2,010 (3.9%) of Veterans. Patients were on average 70.3 ± 12.1 years old and included 5.7% women, 24.1% Blacks, and 41.7% diabetics. Adopted from the Unites States Renal Data System 2014/2015 Annual Data Report. 10
| VA Med Centers | DaVita | Fresenius Med Care | Other Dialysis Chains | Non-Chain units | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incident patients (N) | 5,157 (9.9%) | 12,766 (24.5%) | 14,380 (27.6%) | 6,850 (13.1%) | 11,007 (21.1%) |
| Age, yrs (SD) | 64.6±11.4 | 70.3±12.1 | 70.7±11.8 | 71.2±11.9 | 72.1±11.8 |
| Elderly proportion (%) | |||||
| Age >65 yrs | 43.4 | 66.7 | 68.6 | 70.0 | 72.6 |
| Age >75 yrs | 21.4 | 42.6 | 44.5 | 46.9 | 49.6 |
| Age >85 yrs | 4.6 | 11.3 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 14.3 |
| Females (%) | 2.5 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.7 |
| Race and ethnicity (%) | |||||
| Native American | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Asian | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 1.2 |
| Black | 41.3 | 24.9 | 23.4 | 22.1 | 18.5 |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 55.7 | 72.1 | 74.3 | 73.6 | 78.6 |
| Hispanic | 8.8 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 5.3 |
| Comorbidities (%) | |||||
| Diabetes | 47.0 | 42.7 | 42.6 | 41.7 | 40.1 |
| Hypertension | 22.2 | 32.8 | 34.2 | 32.6 | 32.3 |
| Glomerulonephritis | 7.8 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.0 |
| Cystic Kidney | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Dialysis modality (%) | |||||
| Hemodialysis | 90.6 | 84.6 | 84.8 | 84.9 | 78.2 |
| Peritoneal dialysis | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.7 |
| Laboratory data (mean±SD) | |||||
| Hemoglobin, g/d | 9.8±1.6 | 10.0±1.6 | 10.0±1.6 | 10.1±1.6 | 10.1±1.5 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.2±0.7 | 3.2±0.7 | 3.2±0.7 | 3.2±0.7 | 3.2±0.7 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 6.9±3.1 | 6.0±2.9 | 6.0±2.9 | 5.9±2.9 | 5.8±2.8 |
| eGFR at start (ml/min/1.73m2) | 10.9±4.4 | 12.2±5.1 | 12.1±5.1 | 12.3±5.2 | 12.4±5.2 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 28.6±6.8 | 28.2±6.6 | 28.6±6.9 | 28.0±6.6 | 28.0±6.6 |
Abbreviations: eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate.